Early functional and morphologic vascular renal consequences of the diabetic state

Renal hyperfunction and hypertrophy are characteristic findings in the early diabetic state, both in diabetes mellitus and in experimental diabetes. A number of structure-function relationships and their likely mechanisms are discussed. The metabolically induced hypertrophy of glomerular capillaries possibly plays a central role. Its cause is not known, but recent results on its time-course emphasize the probable long-term consequences of the irreversibility of the accumulation of basement membrane material.